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pangolin20Chapter Thirteen | Table of Contents | Chapter Fourteen (Part II)
NRSG: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to BattleAxe! Last time, Axis and co. made it through the Silent Woman Woods to the Silent Woman Keep, and they met up with Ogden.
Before we begin, I would like to make a note regarding the schedule: I will do up to chapter 20 of this book, and I will do chapter 21 together with the SCSF.
With that out of the way, let us begin!
Chapter Fourteen: Inside the Silent Woman Keep
Hmmm, I see that most of the chapter titles until now describe the location where the chapter takes place. If only she would stick to that for the rest of the trilogy… though she does exclusively use this in the last one.
Well, we open on Ogden demanding to know why they are wandering the Silent Woman Woods. Again, there is no good reason for him to do this. Axis ignores him, and instead looks around. They are in “a large, dimly lit circular room” that seems to take up the entire ground floor. To one side, a “twisting iron staircase” goes to the higher levels. (An iron staircase? That is a little out of place, I think.) Half of the floor is covered in “packing cases”, while the other half is “a rude kitchen and eating area”. A “large wooden larder”, that has been propped up by bricks, leans against the wall, and there is a “crude wooden table” before “a small fire in an iron grate”. This fire is the only light source. A “small and utterly insufficient iron hood” leads some of the smoke away, but the rest swirls about the room.
I think I see what Douglass was going for, but this is so evidently not how it ought to be that it frankly feels more like comedy. In fact, let me pull back Tone Soap…
Tone Soap: 17 (one for now, one for Ogden refusing to let them in)
It also makes Ogden look quite incompetent for not bothering to do anything about this in 39 years.
Well, Axis gives Ogden the Axe-Wielder’s salute, as “he [sees] no point in insulting the man.” So he does not do it because he does not want to insult him, only because he thinks it would be pointless. Lovely. He asks the man if he is Ogden, and Ogden confirms that. Axis then introduces himself as “Axis, BattleAxe of the Axe-Wielders”, and that phrase only sounds worse every time.
Ogden shakes his head, and Axis tells him to wait. He says that it has been 39 years since “they had contact with the outside world” and many things have changed since then. (“Things change, Ogden. The BattleAxe you want me to be is just a memory.”) Fingus died “many years ago”, and now he is BattleAxe. Likewise, Karel died quite some time ago, and now Priam is king. And why do we need to see Axis tell Ogden this…?
Ogden grumbles that Priam was “a snotty-nosed toddler” when he last saw him. Um… we know that Priam is in his late forties, so let me be generous, and say he just turned 45. Thirty-nine years ago, he would have been 5, then. I would hardly call that a toddler. Yes, Ogden might not have seen Priam for at least a year, but I doubt that that is what Douglass was going for. So congratulations, there is another continuity error! And Ogden is very, very bad at acting his part.
Timozel “restrain[s] a smile” at the image of Priam as a toddler, “complete with auburn curls.” Oh, stop it!
And No One Laughed: 5 (one point for now, one for the moment in chapter 2)
Ogden looks at Axis, and asks “Who’s the Brother-Leader did you say? Jayme?” Yes, I know this can be a thing in casual conversation, but it is not exactly easy to understand, and I have had quite enough of it by this point, so here goes PPP.
PPP: 1
Axis nods, and Ogden frowns, and then “smile[s] as if recalling something.” Here we have a missing comm, and yes, I will point them all out.
PPP: 2
Ogden says that Jayme has done well “for a boy from the farm”, and he wonders what friends he has made to get to be Brother-Leader. Then he walks over to the table, and tells them to set, as it is no use “standing about like gawking peasants caught at court.” He kicks out some benches from under the table, and he says that “[c]ourtesy dictates” that they ought to give the travellers some food. Then he shouts for “Veremund”.
Do we know if Paolini read these books? Because we have a “Vermûnd” and a “Vêrmund” in the Inheritance books, and it is just very weird to see a “Veremund” in here… Well, the four men are caught off-guard by this, and Gilbert, who was sitting down, trips and “would have fallen had not Timozel caught his arm.”
PPP: 3 (“had not Timozel”? Why not “had Timozel not”?)
Tone Soap: 18 (more out-of-place antics)
Ogden shouts up the staircase again, and Veremund comes shuffling down the staircase, carrying a “small lamp”. We get a description of Veremund: he is “tall and spare” where Ogden is “short and fat”. Ah yes, a Laurel and Hardy set, then.
Tone Soap: 19
While Ogden has “pale grey eyes”, Veremund’s eyes are “almost black”. His hair, however, is the same as Ogden’s, and he has “[i]nk stains” on his habit. He is notably more enthusiastic than Ogden about Axis and co., as he hurries over to the table and shakes everyone’s hands. He says he is charmed, and also “Absolutely delighted, old chap.” Alright, then. He gives Timozel a pat on the head and Gilbert a clap on the shoulder, and then he notes the insignia on Axis’s coat.
He says they are indeed honoured to meet the BattleAxe, and asks for confirmation from Ogden, but the latter just goes to cook. Veremund says they are honoured, as it “[has] been a long time”. He tells the to excuse Ogden’s poor manners, because he does not like “to be disturbed from his contemplations”, and then he tells Axis and co. to sit down.
Then Ogden “bang[s] some dirty plates on the table”, stares at them for a bit, and gives them a perfunctory wipe, “leaving even more smears”. Oh, how funny.
And No One Laughed: 6
Tone Soap: 20
He says that they have not yet told him why they are here as he passes the plates around. Veremund smiles and says that it does not matter, “does it.” They have plenty of time to hear the story.
PPP: 4 (missing question mark)
Then he asks Axis and co. if they had trouble coming through the Woods. At this, Ogden, who is busy in the larder, glances at Veremund (and…?). Axis looks at Timozel and Arne, and says that they were a hundred paces in, when… when… And then Veremund speaks up.
“Ah,” said Veremund softly, wringing his hands, a sad expression crossing his face. “The Woods, you see, they would not allow your axes in, would they?”
Yes, Veremund, that is exactly what happened. Do we really need all this drawn-out interaction?
PPP: 5
Arne says “[d]emons”. He finds that “[n]o woods or forests” should be allowed to exist, because it is “an affront to Artor”. Well, I do hope that he will protect you from the unpleasant consequences of cutting down everything. Also, I have the feeling that Douglass is basing this off a… caricature of Christianity? Because I am quite certain that “destroying nature” is not one of the core tenets of that religion, or indeed a significant part of it. I feel like I ought to be offended by this.
Ogden bangs “a cold honeyed ham” on the table (yes, that is not suspicious at all), and chortles. He says that the Seneschal has tried to cut the Woods down for a thousand years. And, “so it is said”, one time “five thousand” Axemen surrounded the Woods “and tried to cut their way through”. None of them survived the experience. My, the Woods certainly do not take half measures!
Axis is startled by this, and says that he thought the Woods were left standing “because the Seneschal wanted the Keep left undisturbed.” Veremund sighs and sits down, saying that “[u]nfortunately”, the Seneschal is not yet strong enough to conquer the Woods, as the “old magic” is “still too strong”. Gilbert frowns at the “casual mention” of magic.
I am troubled by this, too, because we have had no mention of this “old magic” so far, and so it feels a little out of place. You know what, let me introduce Manage Your Info Better. Let me see… 1 point each for the mention of Ameld and Embeth having multiple children, as Epistler told me they will not be relevant, 1 point for not mentioning Greville, and 1 point for this.
Manage Your Info Better: 4
Veremund turns back to Ogden, “returning from the larder with a tray laden with food.” I think Ogden returns from the larder, but it is hard to tell from the sentence.
PPP: 6
They both wonder why the Woods have only taken the axes of the men and not their lives, as the Woods “[have] let none live for… well, for many years.” And I cannot blame them for that; it might well be self-defence, after all. Well, Veremund goes to make some tea, while Ogden unloads the tray. The guests are surprised, as the food is “as fine as that of Priam’s table itself.” We get a description of it: “four different kinds of bread, an array of cold meats, pickles, mustards, fresh vegetables, various berry tarts and jellies, cream, butter, spiced fruits and a variety of cheeses.” Very suspicious, Ogden and Veremund. Do they seriously not have any idea that this might seem off?
Gilbert asks how they manage to put such things on table, and Ogden and Veremund, who just sit down, “look[] baffled”. Ogden says it comes from the larder. Gilbert pushes some more, asking how it gets in there, and if they “butcher and bake all this” themselves. He says there was no livestock or gardens outside, so…
Then we get this:
Ogden’s eyes snapped. “Young whip-snake, the food comes from the larder. I presume Veremund puts it in there.”
Veremund’s eyes widened in denial. “Oh, no, no, no, Ogden! You put it in there. I don’t.”
Ogden turned on Veremund, absolutely furious at being contradicted. “No, I don’t! You do!” His plump cheeks had gone pink with anger.
Oh, how very hilarious.
And No One Laughed: 7
Tone Soap: 21
Axis hastily goes to soothe them, saying it does not matter, and he is sorry if Gilbert’s question offended them. The food is more “than [they] could have expected.” Because who cares about where all this food might be coming from, or the obvious magic involved!
Anyway, Veremund leaves to tend to the horses, as there is a “stable out the back”, and he asks Axis to wait with his tale until he is back. He sniffs at Ogden and tells him to pour tea in the meantime. Then “he stalk[s] from the room, slamming the Keep door behind him.”
Well, with that particular bit over, we have a scene break to an hour later. By then, the men are “warm, fed and far more relaxed than previously.” Veremund has rejoined them at the table. He refuses to eat, “sipping only at a mug of steaming tea.” Ogden then asks them what brings “the BattleAxe, two Axe-Wielders, and what you claim to be the Brother-Leader’s adviser” to the Silent Woman Keep “to disturb two old men who would prefer to be left alone”.
Axis says that it is because the Seneschal, and Achar itself, is in danger. So for the next hour he explains the situation in the north, sometimes clarifying things with Gilbert, and sometimes answering questions from the Brothers. Finally he sits back, and asks them if they can help them defeat “these unbodied wraiths”. Well, now we will finally be getting a little information, it seems.
Ogden looks around the table, and says that the news they have brought is “grievous”, but it may be far worse than they think. Axis then tells them to hurry up and say what is going on. Veremund then says that “[a]t one point”, Axis said the danger might not come from the Forbidden, but from something else. We get a note here, with a missing comma, that Veremund stumbles over the word “Forbidden”.
PPP: 7
Vermund says that Axis was correct. He and Ogden are afraid that the danger might be “the Destroyer, Gorgrael himself, driving his Ghostmen and his ice and cloud down from the north.” And that is who…?
Manage Your Info Better: 5
Also, I have the idea that Veremund is quoting from the Prophecy here, except for Gorgrael having “clouds”. Axis and Gilbert are perplexed, so Axis asks who Gorgrael exactly is. Ogden answers, telling Axis to let him explain about the Keep first. Is giving a straight answer too much trouble, then?
Anyway, Ogden says that Jayme told Axis that the Keep has ancient records from the time when the Acharites pushed back the Forbidden Ones, “is that right?” Axis nods, and says that Jayme hoped the records would help them defeat the Forbidden Ones. Ogden blinks, “amused”, and says that that is hardly true. “The records that this Keep contains are the actual records of the Forbidden themselves. They extend back almost eight thousand years.”
1) My, that is very fortunate! I think it is also quite clear now that Ogden and Veremund are not at all who they claim to be.
2) Do these records truly stretch back for nearly eight thousand years? True, I might accept it if it were from different cultures, but as we will soon see, they are supposed to be from the same two cultures. This is just ridiculous.
3) And so, I think it is time for This Is Not How Things Work, as I have the feeling this will be a recurring issue.
This Is Not How Things Work: 2 (one for now, one for the earlier remark about the Plains of Tare being “lifeless”)
Gilbert is appalled at this, and says that they “should have been burned hundreds of years ago”. The narration then explains that, after the Forbidden were driven away, the Seneschal did everything they could “to rid Achar of any sign or memory of the Forbidden, even discouraging people from repeating the old legends that included the Forbidden”. He says that it is little wonder that the Seneschal does not encourage interest “in the Silent Woman Woods and Keep”.
PPP: 8
Why would the Seneschal do their best to suppress all information, though? We know they believe the Forbidden will come back to reclaim Achar one day, so would it not be better to keep some information on hand about them? And why bother to discourage people from telling tales about them? Would it not be more effective to release tales about how horrible they were and get people to repeat those? You truly did not put much thought in this, did you now, Douglass?
This Is Not How Things Work: 3
Ogden snaps at Gilber that that is precisely why the Seneschal kept the existence of the records hidden. The records might be of the Forbidden, “but they are valuable for precisely that reason.” Axis leans forward, firelight glinting on his face, and says that the Forbidden are “brutes, hardly better than beasts”, so how could they have kept records? Why do we have someone who thinks this as our protagonist again, when we could have Azhure and with her, someone who actually cares about them? Do we truly need to learn that “the Forbidden are actually people”?
Anyway, Veremund goes against Axis by saying that the Forbidden, “as you have so simplistically called them”, had “a written and oral culture that was for more complex than our own.” And even after hundreds of years of study, they “can only dimly comprehend the complexity and beauty of their lives.”
Hmmm, I do not entirely like this… First, though, I want to revive the RVMP count for this as… Fix Your Racism Plot (FYRP). Now, let me discuss this:
1) I do like that we finally have some explicit pushback against the idea that “the Forbidden” were all bad, and from people we are supposed to side with, too!
2) I do not like that the culture of the “Forbidden” is held up as “superior” to the Acharite one, because I hate the notion that any culture can be considered “better” or “worse” than another. Like, Axis and co. believe their culture is forbidden; the message that you want to convey, Douglass, should be that the way of thinking is wrong, not saying it applies in the opposite direction!
3) And it also feels to me like we are supposed to see them as worth saving precisely because their culture is “better” than the Acharite one, with the implication that their culture would be less worth saving if it was equal to the Acharite one.
Well, now on to the count:
-20 points for having our main protagonists being racist.
-10 points for the Skraelings being named, well, Skraelings.
-3 points for the discussion of the Ravensbund in chapter 1.
-1 point for Devera specifically admiring Faraday for having blue eyes and fair hair.
-1 point for Nor being especially known for its sex workers.
-1 point for Earl Jorge calling the Ravensbund “Carrion-eating barbarians” in chapter 6.
-1 point for Axis’s remark just yet.
-1 point for this nonsense about “superior” culture.
FYRP: 38
Well, Arne says that they sound as if they admire the “Forbidden”. Veremund says that it has been hard for Ogden and himself “to do anything but admire them”, as they were “beautiful peoples”. Gilbert, the super-pious caricature, says it is “[s]acrilege” and they should not be part of the Seneschal. Um, how is this “sacrilege”? They are not mistreating something sacred, after all, so should it not be “blasphemy”?
PPP: 9 (this book truly needed a good proofread)
Axis tells Gilbert to be silent, though he sympathises with Gilbert’s reaction. “How could these Brothers admire the Forbidden when, as every Artor-fearing Acharite knew, the Forbidden had done their best to slaughter every man, woman and child in Achar?”
1) What. Why have we never been told this before now? Looking back at chapter 1, we are told that the “Forbidden” “once dominated Achar with their evil sorcery”, not that they were committing genocide! And now we are told that everyone knows this?!
Manage Your Info Better: 6
PPP: 10 (mention this earlier!)
2) Also, how can “every Artor-fearing Acharite” know this when we were just told that the Seneschal does their best to suppress every mention of the “Forbidden”?
PPP: 11
3) For one thing good about this, Douglass manages to show by implication that Axis does not think of the “Forbidden” as people, rather than telling us outright.
Axis then notes that Veremund said ‘peoples’, plural. Here, have this, from the same sentence that I quoted above:
Every Acharite now living knew that […] their forebears had driven the frightful races […] back.
Note “races”, plural. And Axis is the BattleAxe, so he ought to know this! Why is this a thing?!
PPP: 12
Anyway, Veremund explains that the “Forbidden” are “composed of two peoples”. Those are “[t]he Icarii”, who are sometimes called “the people of the Wing”, and “the Avar, or the people of the Horn.” The records they have are mostly of the Icarii, but they do have some of the Avar, too.
So, now I can finally call them by their proper names. Is there also any reason why we could not have learned these names in the prologue, Douglass?
Manage Your Info Better: 7
As for the names… “Icarii” is clearly derived from “Icarus”, and see that is indeed the expected Latin plural form of “Icarus”, so points to Douglass for that. And I guess it fits with “hubristic, winged people”, too, so I cannot complain. About the Avar I have less to say, only that it is perfectly fine.
Gilbert now gets suspicious and asks how the Brothers can “read the language of the Forbidden”. Veremund answers with this:
“All the races of this ancient land once lived together, Gilbert, and spoke the same language. It has scarcely altered over the centuries.”
1) Yes, it is likely that the Acharites, the Icarii and the Avar spoke at least a common language, a lingua franca, so to say. It is, however, quite unlikely that they all spoke the same language, or that they would not develop separate varieties over the course of 8000 years!
This Is Not How Things Work: 4
2) Language does not “scarcely alter over the centuries”! This language has been spoken for at least a thousand years after these records were written, and in that time, it truly should have become very hard to recognize! This is ridiculous!
This Is Not How Things Work: 5
Axis raises his eyebrows at this, but does not pursue it further, because of course he does not. He asks if the records “will tell [them] of what [they] face”. Veremund says he believes so, and he says it might be better if he “shows [them] rather than simply tell [them]”. If only Douglass would follow that advice… He asks Ogden if he thinks that “would be best”, and Ogden says so. Then Veremund takes the lamp and climbs up the stairs.
And I think it best to cut off here, as I have said rather more than I thought I would do. Let me see what I will take as limit… 2815 words, it appears.
Well, until next time!
(no subject)
Thursday, 1 February 2024 10:06 (UTC)If I remember my Bible studies there's stuff in there about being caretakers of the land and such, in fact.
This bit is just far too stupid for words. It also makes Axis look like a moron for just ignoring it when he should be instantly assuming it's witchcraft.
FUCKING TEA. And how is this not even more suspicious??
For these two assholes, yes. They keep things to themselves for no reason all the goddam time just so the author can drag things out to suit herself.
And Axis remains a disgusting racist for the entire trilogy.
Of course, this among other things makes it pretty obvious that the author herself was racist as well as hopelessly misogynistic.
Advice Douglass herself rarely bothers to follow, hence why we've got a protagonist we're TOLD is a charismatic charmer and a brilliant military leader but SHOWN the exact opposite.
(no subject)
Thursday, 1 February 2024 10:18 (UTC)If I remember my Bible studies there's stuff in there about being caretakers of the land and such, in fact.
NRSG: That, too. (I truly ought to get Chessy on this; she would tear this to shreds...)
This bit is just far too stupid for words. It also makes Axis look like a moron for just ignoring it when he should be instantly assuming it's witchcraft.
For that matter, why is Gilbert, the religious caricature, shouting about how this means they must be of the Forbidden or something like that?
For these two assholes, yes. They keep things to themselves for no reason all the goddam time just so the author can drag things out to suit herself.
Because this book has not dragged on long enough yet...
And Axis remains a disgusting racist for the entire trilogy.
I am very unsurprised.
Of course, this among other things makes it pretty obvious that the author herself was racist as well as hopelessly misogynistic.
In other words, the best person to write a "feminist" fantasy that has "overcoming bigotry" baked into its plot!
On an entirely other note, I think I have found a solution for the problem of quotes ending the cut text: curly quotes do seem to work.
(no subject)
Friday, 2 February 2024 08:07 (UTC)Who's Chessy?
Like author like protag. If Douglass doesn't see anything wrong with putting in a race of black cannibals, why would the "hero" have a problem with thinking such shit as "Nors women thought mainly of the pleasures of the flesh and very little else"?
(no subject)
Friday, 2 February 2024 05:31 (UTC)Are there just the two living here? Why is there a keep at all then? Did there use to be more people here? It's pretty clearly a faux-monastery, not a faux-hermitage.
Furthermore, while monasteries can be pretty austere I can't think of a single order that would tolerate dirty dishes. Like, I get that Douglass doesn't like the Church but can she stick with stuff we actually do or did?
As a Catholic, I can safely state that wantonly destroying nature is not good stewardship of God's creation and thus is not promoted by the Catholic Church. Quite the opposite really, all things are part of God's creation so we're supposed to be responsible with them.
... Okay, are they hiding something or are their minds going? I genuinely can't tell.
Okay, can we get the history of this keep? Because it sounds more interesting then dealing with Axis.
Yeah, I'm thinking Azhure would be a better protagonist. I'm also thinking Princess Mononoke handles these themes better, on account of understanding that these are complex issues without easy answers!
It's not blasphemy either, because it's not insulting or belittling a sacred thing. The term he's looking for is heresy, the obstinate belief in something determined to be false. I get that these are fine distinctions, but to us on the inside they really matter.
At least it's not just 'the pious one' who doesn't seem particularly bright.
(no subject)
Friday, 2 February 2024 08:08 (UTC)It might seem so right now, but when she becomes a full co-protagonist and then takes over as the new main Sue, that changes fast.
(no subject)
Friday, 2 February 2024 09:48 (UTC)Are there just the two living here? Why is there a keep at all then? Did there use to be more people here? It's pretty clearly a faux-monastery, not a faux-hermitage.
NRSG: Little idea, though I wonder why the Keep was put up here in the first place...
As a Catholic, I can safely state that wantonly destroying nature is not good stewardship of God's creation and thus is not promoted by the Catholic Church. Quite the opposite really, all things are part of God's creation so we're supposed to be responsible with them.
Douglass truly did not bother to do any research on what she was supposedly depicting, it seems.
... Okay, are they hiding something or are their minds going? I genuinely can't tell.
Hiding something, though they might be better off outright revealing who they are at this point.
Yeah, I'm thinking Azhure would be a better protagonist. I'm also thinking Princess Mononoke handles these themes better, on account of understanding that these are complex issues without easy answers!
This book's Azhure, at least... And that is indeed something that Douglass would have done well to understand.
It's not blasphemy either, because it's not insulting or belittling a sacred thing. The term he's looking for is heresy, the obstinate belief in something determined to be false. I get that these are fine distinctions, but to us on the inside they really matter.
Ah, I should have known. Well, I apologise for the confusion, and I will issue a correction for this.
(no subject)
Saturday, 24 February 2024 13:35 (UTC)First Ogden is a jerk, and now Veremund is so friendly as to be creepy... These are definitely stock 'wise old mentor' types and I want to stab them both. I just know that they're going to be the direct cause of a whole ton of bollocks between now and the end of the book.
And now they conjure a fantastic meal from nowhere. I can't be the only one thinking that they're being bewitched and they're actually eating the most vile things imaginable, right? Because I'm getting very strong 'don't fuck with the Fae' vibes as well as the wise old mentors vibes.
Douglas, stop it with the racism. It's not clever and it's not imaginative, it's the bare minimum of effort and I'm sick of bad writers using it to excuse lazy worldbuilding. You know who else looks at cultures of the past and holds them up as 'superior'? NAZIS. (I will never forgive those fascist assholes for taking the entirety of Scandinavian history and narrowing it down to 'VIKINGS! WHO WOULD TOTALLY AGREE WITH OUR BULLSHIT EVEN THOUGH OUR IMAGE OF VIKINGS COMES FROM VIDEO GAMES AND FABIO NOVELS!')
*throws hands up in the air, screams with frustration, throws things at Veremund and Douglas* THAT IS NOT HOW LINGUISTICS WORKS! THAT IS NOT HOW ANYTHING WORKS!
(no subject)
Saturday, 24 February 2024 14:02 (UTC)Axis, if the only reason you're not insulting someone is because you think it's not worth the effort... You're the asshole in the equation. Good LORD he is intolerable!
NRSG: That he is. And he will not be improving in this trilogy, unfortunately.
I just know that they're going to be the direct cause of a whole ton of bollocks between now and the end of the book.
Oh, I would even classify them as some of the most awful characters in this trilogy, which is saying something.
And now they conjure a fantastic meal from nowhere. I can't be the only one thinking that they're being bewitched and they're actually eating the most vile things imaginable, right? Because I'm getting very strong 'don't fuck with the Fae' vibes as well as the wise old mentors vibes.
In this case, if I recall this right, the Keep can make these things all by itself, because it is magical or something.
Douglas, stop it with the racism. It's not clever and it's not imaginative, it's the bare minimum of effort and I'm sick of bad writers using it to excuse lazy worldbuilding. You know who else looks at cultures of the past and holds them up as 'superior'? NAZIS.
Yes, she has a very bad grip on this plot. And I would love it if she paid equal attention to the Avar and the Icarii, too.
throws hands up in the air, screams with frustration, throws things at Veremund and Douglas THAT IS NOT HOW LINGUISTICS WORKS! THAT IS NOT HOW ANYTHING WORKS!
It is just such bad worldbuilding!
(no subject)
Thursday, 30 May 2024 13:58 (UTC)I know that this is a fantasy medieval setting, so there's almost no way that they would know this, but...
Way to risk killing everyone with carbon monoxide poisoning, guys. But even if they didn't know the specific cause, surely they would know that inhaling smoke = bad.
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This is a refreshing change, seeing as he's had no qualms about insulting everyone else he comes across.
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Every man with curly hair is flipping you off right now, author. Having curls isn't exclusively feminine, you know.
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Good to see that Ogden doesn't believe Jayme could have achieved his position through his own skill and abilities.
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I get the feeling that the author was going for "tee-hee, aren't they so quirky?", but I'm just sitting here with the flattest expression on my face. Absolutely none of this is amusing.
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After all, why would they want to know why someone braved hours of walking through a supposedly demonic forest? I'm sure it's nothing important; they just stopped by for a casual chat.
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*pauses* I just had a thought. If there are very few forests, what do people use for firewood? Shrubbery could be good for lighting fires, but it won't sustain them for very long. You would have to be constantly feeding it.
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This reminds me of a scene in another book which was done much better, and was far more charming. You see, there were a pair of sisters who lived in a very strange house. When their father was alive, he was something of a scientist, and liked to mess around with magic. One day, he accidentally made something that amounted to an invisibility spell, which ended up affecting all of the servants. Now, years later, the grounds are kept pristine, the floors are swept, clothes are washed, etc. but the sisters are the only ones in the house. They believe that the invisible servants are still at work, or perhaps their spirits, taking care of the home and the people that they loved.
That's an incredibly brief summary, and I'm not sure that I did it justice; it's much better in the book, of course.
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It's almost like this was forced in there so we're all SHOCKED NAD SURPRISED that the Forbidden aren't actually flying spaghetti monsters, and are actually just people. That's seriously the only reason I can think of for why all of this would be suppressed, and it doesn't work.
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The only way I could see this being acceptable is if it's in terms of technology, or medicine. For example, our era is superior to a millennia ago because of how far things have advanced. But I get the feeling that's not what they're going for here.
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Continuity? Who dat?
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Anyone who knows even the slightest amount about languages knows this. I do not get how you can mess up such a simple fact so badly.
(no subject)
Thursday, 30 May 2024 17:57 (UTC)Way to risk killing everyone with carbon monoxide poisoning, guys. But even if they didn't know the specific cause, surely they would know that inhaling smoke = bad.
NRSG: To be fair, the Keep is quite large, so the smoke would be diluted, but they still seem to care less about keeping their guests safe than keeping up their disguise.
Every man with curly hair is flipping you off right now, author. Having curls isn't exclusively feminine, you know.
Nor is it in any way bad to have, as Douglass seemed to imply earlier.
Good to see that Ogden doesn't believe Jayme could have achieved his position through his own skill and abilities.
Of course, the Brother-Leader must be corrupt in some way!
I get the feeling that the author was going for "tee-hee, aren't they so quirky?", but I'm just sitting here with the flattest expression on my face. Absolutely none of this is amusing.
Yes, me too. It is utterly irrelevant to anything, and quite irritating.
After all, why would they want to know why someone braved hours of walking through a supposedly demonic forest? I'm sure it's nothing important; they just stopped by for a casual chat.
To be fair, they already suspect why Axis and co. are here, though they should still ask.
pauses I just had a thought. If there are very few forests, what do people use for firewood? Shrubbery could be good for lighting fires, but it won't sustain them for very long. You would have to be constantly feeding it.
Let me look... Ah, I see I covered that in the glossary. It says that there are still "fruit trees and plantation trees for timber", so presumably it is coming from there.
That's an incredibly brief summary, and I'm not sure that I did it justice; it's much better in the book, of course.
It still sounds quite good!
It's almost like this was forced in there so we're all SHOCKED NAD SURPRISED that the Forbidden aren't actually flying spaghetti monsters, and are actually just people. That's seriously the only reason I can think of for why all of this would be suppressed, and it doesn't work.
Indeed, what she is trying to go for does not work either, as I did not assume these people were actually "evil" to start with. It is... I do not like it when I am supposed to go along with the racist characters to get to the reveal.
The only way I could see this being acceptable is if it's in terms of technology, or medicine. For example, our era is superior to a millennia ago because of how far things have advanced. But I get the feeling that's not what they're going for here.
I also highly doubt that they have better technology than the Acharites, per se.
Continuity? Who dat?
Chapter 17 will be even worse in that regard, as Axis will forget things that have been established in the first chapter so Ogden and Veremund can tell him.
Anyone who knows even the slightest amount about languages knows this. I do not get how you can mess up such a simple fact so badly.
Refusing to put thought into what you write and not bothering to have it checked?
(no subject)
Wednesday, 26 June 2024 18:12 (UTC)The problem with the "joke" is not only that it's not funny (though the scene reinforced my understanding of Ogden and Veremund as a grumpy old might-as-well-be married couple), it's also implausible. For 39 years, the two never ever talked about this, thereby figuring out that none of them put the supplies in there?
And honestly, after that scene, any smart character should've grown suspicious and call for an investigation of the larder. But no, let's not try to de-mystify this mystery!
(no subject)
Wednesday, 26 June 2024 18:29 (UTC)I was actually wondering how this keep could've been maintained with provisions if the woods around it constantly kill everyone entering and leaving. Also, what if something breaks? Do metals also magically appear in the larder?
NRSG: That is a good question! I presume that the Keep can make that, too... but I somehow wonder if Douglass actually thought of that.
The problem with the "joke" is not only that it's not funny (though the scene reinforced my understanding of Ogden and Veremund as a grumpy old might-as-well-be married couple), it's also implausible. For 39 years, the two never ever talked about this, thereby figuring out that none of them put the supplies in there?
Yes, it truly makes them seem ridiculously simple-minded and incurious, so why should Axis and co. trust them? Ogden and Veremund should really know better.
And honestly, after that scene, any smart character should've grown suspicious and call for an investigation of the larder. But no, let's not try to de-mystify this mystery!
Well, that is why I made the count "Ill Logic" in the next part. And yes, that will stay a problem. We will hear about mysterious things without any explanation, and since the characters often do not seem to care, why should we? I can also think of only one time when someone investigates so far... and there it is suicidally stupid.
(no subject)
Friday, 28 June 2024 04:27 (UTC)That's unfortunate, because now I see plot potential being wasted.